Participants in this ride were Dennis Welch, Dave VanRooyen, Russel Kain, Luke Deese, Manoj Mathew and Scott Truex.
We gathered at Dennis’ house at 7am on Monday, March 11, 2019 and prayed for the trip and to keep our families safe while we were traveling. We then headed out to June’s rice shop to have breakfast. June is a good friend of mine that God led me to meet some time ago. He had rented a small space in front of Wat Pneat, but now has built his own new rice shopinOwLowk. I’vesharedthegospelwithhimandheisopentotalkandImeetwith him on a regular basis. He was very happy to have us there and welcomed our prayers for his family and new rice shop.
We left out from June’s and rode out power-line road. We had missed a turn and were not on the correct trail, so we cut across a field to get back on the main path. We asked a local guy if the water in the field was ok to ride a moto through and he said, yes, the ground was firm and it should not be a problem to ride a motorcycle through the water. I struck out into the pond and the water just kept getting deeper. I thought at any moment I’d come out unscathed. However, in the middle of the pond, the mud got slicker and as the wheel churned it dug down so deep that it drown my motorcycle. I pushed Leroy out of the water and despite our best eUorts, we could not revive our dear motorcycle friend. I was very thankful for Dennis and the other riders for their experience, repair skills, tools and advice in our resuscitation eUorts. Dave Everitt even chimed in from Oregon. After several hours of work, we decided the best decision would be to truck the KTM back to Phnom Penh and get Wynona, the Yamaha.
Manoj and I went back together and the other four riders went on to Kampong Speu to get something to eat. Dennis, Russell, Luke and Dave had a good ride in the Kirirom area. When they came out of the forest and hit National Road 4 again it was already dark. They stopped to discuss their plan of action. About that time Manoj and I come thumping by and so the group of 4 riders chase us down and we’re able to re-group. We had not had any connection about our locations with each other since we left them to truck Leroy back to PP, so God got us reconnected on the highway. Amazing!
We spent the night in Srae Ambel, and then went to visit Chhay and her Father Den. We arrived in the village and Den was working the family farm and not at home. We visited with Chhay, a girl of about 11 or 12, and with her mother. In the past, Chhay had been harassed by evil spirits. The mom said that Chhay had been walking okay and been sleeping fine. She has weakness in her left hand and cannot help with chores around the house, but she can feed herself. There had also been an incident of seizures, but the search for a cause did not produce any answers. She was able to talk with us some. Sometimes she could talk in complete sentences and other times she would just say random words and mumble. After a short time, her dad came home and he was very glad that we had come to visit. He travels by himself on Sundays to attend church in Srae Ambel that meets at 1pm. He can’t take everyone, so he goes by himself. He described some of the spirit activity in his village and that he had experienced himself. We talked about spirits and spiritual authority and that God has power over all the spiritual realm. We went through the gospel and he had a clear understanding of his relationship with God. We read some scripture together to encourage him and he especially liked Eph 6:10-20 and 1 Cor 13. Manoj spent a lot of time talking with Chhay. He had a solar powered MP3 player that he gave so that they could listen to the Bible and other lessons and teaching. As Chhay would listen she would repeat the words back. We prayed for them and Den asked us to come back every month if we could.
We then set oU to visit Tok Nah and his mentor Vito in Jamka Jake, Thma Bang District, Koh Kong Province. We had a great visit there as Tok Nah was very willing to talk and tell his stories. He had come from Kampong Thom (Dennis thought he heard him say he was from Banteay Meanchey) to start a new group. He came and was going to teach English, or Thai or computer but nothing seemed to work. He was very discouraged. Vito, who used to be part of Dave VR church’s dorm program in Phnom Penh, came out and encouraged Tok Nah and brought food when they did not have much. This was a big encouragement to Tok Nah. They decided to just teach the Bible, to obey God, and to love people the way God loves us. The group started to grow as they met people’s needs. He did not need a special program to oUer English classes to reach folks but just to care about people and help them when they were in crisis. Tok Nah said he just needed time to be with people to teach them and pray with them. One time there was a man that was sleeping and then he started floating above the bed. Everyone came in the room and saw this but the man did not wake up. They prayed that Jesus would help him, but they did not really know what to do or how to talk to God to ask for help. They just knew that they were supposed to pray. It was a prayer of desperation and not so much of one of faith or conviction. God answered that prayer! The man was delivered from that spirit! He followed God for a few months but then reverted back to his old ways and he is now possessed by a demon and is worse than he was before.
Another time there was a shaman that died. During the funeral it was wet from rain and they could not cremate the body. They had tried to start the fire, but it would not burn. All the believers saw the same thing and noticed that the fire wouldn’t light. They said it was like the story of Elijah in the Bible. We were able to pray for Tok Nah and Vito. The groups in their area were increasing in size as about 40 met at that location and then 30 more in another. They spend time teaching on Saturdays and Sundays. There was also an older woman that we were able to pray for her and give her some medicine for her injured eye.
We then traveled on to O’Saom and to Pramouy. At that place Dara was there with a tour group of about 23 Australians and Europeans
I had a good conversation with an Indian guy, Bavitir, that said he was a Yoga teacher in Malaysia and he was here in Cambodia to help people. Manoj told me that he talked to this guy too and that he was there on business. Manoj had heard of some guys from India coming into that area to scam people. I had a good conversation with Bavitir and I was able to explain the gospel to him. He was very agreeable to everything I was saying so I was not sure what he really thought about spiritual things . I prayed for Him and exchanged info, so maybe I’ll hear from him again.
We travelled to the Thai border through a bunch of smoke and it really aUected visibility and gave me a headache. We came through that area of burning and we’re so thankful for clean air to breathe! We got to the Thai border and they said there were trees down blocking the road to Pailin so we headed down the road on the Thai border all the way southbound to Koh Kong City. We stopped on the top of a ridge and looked over into Thailand. We also saw a lot of landmine clearing activity along that road on the border.
Dave E, Yong and I had tried to travel that road before, coming out of Koh Kong, but had always been blocked by the military.
We traveled to Koh Kong and then headed to Srae Ambel. Went through big rain storm that cooled us oU and slowed us down as the light sprinkle turned into a significant rain with lots of water streaming across the highway. We pushed through all the way to Srae Ambel but stayed in a diUerent guesthouse than on Monday night.
Peter Stahl sent us the number of Lim, a person he had taught and discipled, to meet and encourage him. We called the number and figured out he was just a few doors down from our guesthouse at the Doctor’s oUice helping his father-in-law who had Dengue Fever. We prayed for him and his wife and for his father-in-law to be healed from his disease. I also had a good conversation with the Doctor there at the clinic. The Doctor had been trained in Hanoi on scholarship but had to agree to come back and work in an underserved part of Cambodia. His wife was from Srae Ambel, so they set up his clinic there. He has only been married for 4 months but he hardly sees his wife as she is a midwife in rural Siem Reap province. He was very talkative and happy that we came to visit him at his clinic and was insistent to take a picture with us before we left.
We met Lim and his wife on Friday morning for breakfast. He wants to start a business in Kampot. He thinks that will provide the best opportunity for him to make money for his family. He would like to broker land for farming or fruit trees. He also feels like he could manage a farming operation if someone would trust him with that responsibility. He has three children. A daughter 17 years old, another daughter 15 years old and a 7-year-old son. The school for both daughters costs him about $150/month. His wife rents a stall in the market and sells clothes there. Lim said that he has had trouble since getting married. During the wedding and the party for his wedding a lot of money was given to the bride and groom. His father took all the money that was given and never gave it to he and his wife. They started their marriage with all the debt that the wedding donations normally pay for and he said their life has been such that they have been trying to catch up ever since that time.
Russell had just told me the story of Ian McCormack and how he died after being stung by a box jellyfish 5 times and how God restored him to life and ministry. I told this story to Lim to encourage him that God has power over all our problems even to the point of hopelessness in death. There is nothing he cannot overcome. We prayed for them again on Friday morning and said good-bye.
We decided to head back to PP on hard top road since Dave VR’s bike was not quite right and we wanted to stay together as a group. Manoj mentioned that he had a teammate in Kampong Speu that we could stop by and visit so we made plans to stop for lunch and visit her area of ministry.
At the restaurant in Kampong Speu, Chris and Casey Allison dropped in with their kids and we had a short visit with them as they are headed back to the US in a few weeks. Chris and I will try to meet up before they leave.
Ann, Manoj’s teammate there in Kampong Speu, and one of her volunteers came to eat with us in K Speu city and then took us out to their ministry site. She has a teaching center near Kampong Speu town where kids come to supplement their education. They also have several agricultural projects going on as they are raising ducks, selling duck eggs, raising fish, raising freshwater crawfish-like creatures and growing vegetables. Ann said that when all the kids saw her coming down the road with 6 dirt bikes following her, their eyes about popped out of their heads! They couldn’t believe it. They came out to greet us and were enamored with the big motos. We were able to pray for them and their ministry there. As we were leaving Ann said the kids were asking for some wheelies from the big motos. There were some oooo’s and ahhhh’s as for the wheelie performances.
The most dangerous part of our trip was the ride from Kampong Speu back to Phnom Penh. Lots of traUic, slow moving vehicles, people coming in the oncoming lane while passingintheoppositedirectionandcows. Weallmadeithomesafelythough.
There are a lot of landmines in life and work that are out there to destroy us. We were reminded of the deception of the enemy to do anything so that we don’t worship the true creator God. We stopped at the top of the mountain at Pich Nil and saw the shrines there where people give fruit and wash themselves with the special water that has been poured over the likeness of a snake. They chant and burn incense in search of safe passage and good fortune. They are willing to do whatever they can to gain merit and appease the spirits of their dead ancestors.
Other folks are fatalistic and the things that happen to them happen regardless of their actions. They are hopeless and resigned to the fate that has been prescribed for them by their circumstances. These landmines vary from place to place and culture to culture and even on an individual basis. The enemy is cunning and knows where we are weak and vulnerable. Yet, God is wiser still and knows we need to daily depend on Him to guide us through the landmines of this life on earth to eternity with Him. None of us are immune to temptation and failure. We have hope, and I pray that God will enable as many as He would to open the spiritual eyes of the those living in this country to experience His hope, love, forgiveness and honor.